The Perfect Set
by venomoxide
Summary: Tony has lost the only person that understood him - Effy. She's gone missing. But since when has Tony given up that easily? Afterall, no one knows her better. But what happens when Effy is no longer... Effy.  Tony/Effy, Skins-Dollhouse Crossover.
1. Chapter 1

****

**Hey guys. So this is another Tony/Effy fanfiction. It's not nessecarily a pairing of them, but you know. Take it however you want. Also, it _is _a crossover of Skins and Dollhouse. But don't worry. If you haven't watched Dollhouse, you'll still understand the story. Don't let it deter you away from reading it, yeah?  
I didn't put it in the crossover section because I don't think anyone would think of the two shows crossing over. So, at least give it a try. Please?  
No real warnings. Rating may change but it's unlikely.**

* * *

"Hello Beta." The familiar voice was pulling her back into the room she often woke up in. Eyes searching for a moment, she finally found his face and smiled serenely.

"Did I... fall asleep?"  
"For a little while." He always said that. Of course, she couldn't remember that he said it... but she was sure he did.  
"Shall I go now?" And she always replied that way. It just felt right. Like a script.  
"If you like." Yes, she would like.

* * *

"Tone...?" It was Maxxie this time. For a moment, Tony wanted to smile. It was amusing that they thought he was breaking down. He was fine. He had to be. Turning to look at Max, he nodded. "I know. I'm spacing again."

"Yeah. You sure you're okay, mate?" Sometimes Maxxie cared too much. Like a girl.  
"I'm fine Max. I'm perfectly fine. She's not my mother. I'm not suffering withdrawal."

But he knew that everyone – Sid, Michelle, Max – they all knew he wasn't okay. Effy was his sister and she was the only person who cared for him. Cared for him in a way that no one else could. They were a matched set. Tony and Effy. The Stonems. Impossible to be sold separately and at a high price to match. But now Effy was gone and he was worthless.

She hadn't just left. She hadn't run away. Because she had done it before and Tony had known instantly.  
No. The unthinkable had happened. Effy's wit and her street-smart had failed her. She had messed up. Gotten killed. Kidnapped. Hooked on something stronger than spliff.  
Either way, no one could find her. Not even that punk Cook – who she had been with. They had gone to New York. Claimed he had seen her at a party they were at one minute and the next, she had 'poofed' as he so eloquently put it.

Some part of him wanted to be angry with Cook. Punch him, yell at him. But he knew that even if he had been trying to watch out for her, he wouldn't have been able to. Effy didn't let anyone watch her. She was a free spirit. But that was the problem. Her instincts had failed and now she was missing. And strangely enough, Tony felt lost.

* * *

It had been three months. Three numbing months... Their mum was acting particularly fucked up but for once, Tony didn't blame her. Even he, perfect, unfazed Tony, had begun to show signs of loss. By now, everyone had accepted the fact that Effy was gone. The police still aired a small bit on the telly each night, saying the same thing over and over. Giving a description of her hair. Height. Where she had been. And each night, they flashed a picture of her – smiling and happy.

Where was she now?

And each night, though he promised himself he wouldn't, he found himself sitting on the couch. Waiting to see a glimpse of her face. Of course he could simply go and look at pictures of her whenever he wanted and stare at her face for hours. But this was safer. Less pathetic. When he saw her, he only saw her for 3 odd seconds. That was enough. It was controlled; kept him from breaking.


	2. Chapter 2

Raising the spliff up to his lips, Tony sighed, taking a deep breath as he tried to relax. "Sid?" He questioned, eyes closing slowly as he leant back on his friends bed. Sid was sitting on the floor, rolling cigarettes absently. "Hm?"

"D'you think she's alive?" He had asked this question many times before. Too many times. Most of the times he asked, he received awkward silences.

"Dunno, Tony. You tell me." Sid replied, speaking through a piece of paper in his mouth. Sometimes Tony wondered how he ever managed to make it through high school. With a relaxed sigh, Tony nodded. "She is. I can feel it. But I can't, you know? It's like she's there but not… Drifting in the dark, hidden, just out of reach."

"Hm."

"I want to reach her. I could do a better job than the police. I mean, it's been three months, Sid! Three fucking months! I could've found her in a day. Less than that… Why didn't I…" He trailed off for a moment before he stood up, snuffing out the spliff on an ashtray near him. "Coming with me, Sid?"

"Hm… Wait, what?" Sid dropped his work, looking at Tony like he was mad. "Tone, you can't just… The police have looked, mate. The _police._ You think you can do a better job? You think you can find her?"

"Yes." He answered with such sincerity that it took Sid a few moments to reply. Sometimes he forgot how convincing Tony could make himself be.

"But the police-"  
"Are wankers, Sid." Tony interrupted, pulling on his jacket. "Now are you coming or am I flying to New York alone?"  
Sid hesitated for a moment, biting his lip as he watched his best mate leave. He hated being caught in these situations. Tony was one of those people who should not be allowed to have devoted friends. Or friends with opinions. It would just make life easier for the both of them. If he could say no, he would have. But not once in his life has he ever said no to Tony and actually meant it. So he followed Tony.  
He always did.

* * *

Miraculously, they managed to snag two plane tickets to New York. It was the red eye flight but in Tony's opinion, it was better than risking Sid (or himself) backing out. By now, there was fifty some thousand feet between him and the ground, making it quite literally impossible to turn back. Sid was asleep but Tony' couldn't bring himself to calm down enough to indulge in that comfort. He stayed, sitting straight in his seat, staring ahead. She was alive. She had to be. Or else, he wouldn't know what to do.

When they landed, Sid was in an irritable mood. Tony was thinking clear enough to get Cassie's address and gave it to the taxi driver. It wouldn't do to stay in a hotel when they had a place to go. Not to mention it would keep Sid out of his hair while he tried to find Effy.

Each person they passed could be her. Each brown flicker of hair made his head snap back, eyes wide with false hope.  
But it was never her.

Cassie didn't question when they showed up. Just smiled in her slightly barmy way she always did and encased them both in a hug. Sid drifted off with her and Tony felt nice enough not to snort when he began a heartfelt story about how he just needed to see her so Tony and him hopped on the first plane.  
He let them talk, standing at the window, staring out at the city. There were so many lights, blinking and shining. It seemed like the sky, but all fake and unreal. Faintly he wondered if Effy was somewhere among those stars.


	3. Chapter 3

"Tonight our little Beta is going to be a cute little schoolgirl," Topher announced, smiling widely as he tapped the black case in his hand. Beta was lying on the chair, staring out at the rest of the room with a docile smile.  
"This is just a romantic relationship, right?" Carter questioned, large arms folded across his chest, face set in his usual unimpressed expression. He was her handler and even though they were strictly told not to develop any feelings for her, he couldn't help it. She looked so innocent – he couldn't imagine watching her being hurt, even if it could be erased.

"Of course, my man. Simply a nice little fantasy played out by Beta here," Topher replied, rolling his eyes before he slid the black case in its slot. "This might pinch a bit..." He warned Beta, giving a faint grimace to the pretty, brown-haired Doll. She nodded before the surge of electricity made its way through her brain. She convulsed lightly for a few moments before she sat up, blinking a few times.

"Like... Am I late for my class? Oh, man. I'm like, so going to fail if I'm late. Mr. Scott is going to kill me if I'm late!" She announced, twirling a strand of her hair around a finger, giving the two men a far off look. Topher arched his eyebrows before he gave a small laugh, obviously amused.

* * *

"You sure you don't want to go, Tony?" Sid questioned, already halfway out the door with Cassie. They were headed to a club, even though it was only 6 pm. They had been here two days.  
"No, go on," he replied, waving his hand dismissively. He had other things planned for tonight. And he put those into action the moment the door closed. Throwing on a jacket, he grabbed his cell and the small slip of paper that had the phone number and address for the police station.

Surprisingly it didn't take him long to reach the station and soon Tony found himself staring at the overly large building. There was a steady stream of people pouring in and out of the place, making it look like a typical scene from a movie set in busy New York. So, American telly didn't lie.  
Walking in, he blinked as a few cops bumped into him, giving him odd looks. Yup. This was definitely different from Bristol.

Walking up to the front desk, he rang the bell and waited for a plumper lady to arrive, looking impatient. "What?" She snapped, narrowing her eyes and glaring at him for a moment. A few seconds later, his bewildered expression seemed to ease her anger. "Sorry, dear. I've been having a bad day."

"It's alright. Happens to the best of us." He turned his charm on with a smile to match. It was the only way to get what he wanted from people – not to mention old ladies seemed to love his smirk. "I was wondering if you could point me to the missing persons department." The irony in that statement seemed to amuse her for a brief moment.

"First door on the left, love. Big sign. Can't miss it," she fluttered, giving him a slightly endeared smile before she flitted off, looking like a bee busy at work.

Following her instructions, he found himself in a slightly drab looking office with a few pictures of missing persons tacked to a board.  
"I don't care, Paul! You are not interviewing these people! There is no Dollhouse – maybe just a crazy house – where you belong!" The sound of an argument drew Tony's attention towards two professional looking men standing by the only desk in the room. One was significantly taller than the other – towering over him with a fierce expression. "Just one more, alright?" The tall guy paused to glance around the room before he spotted Tony and surged forward, grabbing his upper arm firmly. "He'll do. Last one – promise."

The shorter man seemed to give up before he shook his head and walked away. Tall man turned back to Tony with a sigh. "You don't mind, do you? I'm just trying to investigate a case that most people think is pointless. You're here to report a missing person, right? Come on. In here," he babbled as he led Tony into a cramped office. "Sit please."

Tony did, frowning a bit at the man. Squinting, he saw the agents name on the desk. Agent Paul Ballard.

* * *

"So, you say your sister is already missing?" Ballard questioned for the second time in their meeting. "For three months?"  
Tony nodded, rubbing his temples. No offence to the officer, but so far everything that he had heard sounded insane. This guy was an FBI agent, searching for an urban legend called the Dollhouse. It was a place where people were taken against their will and had their memories erased so they could be... changed into other people. Yeah. Insane.

"Look, no offence, Agent Ballard... but here's the thing. My sister – she's smart. I know it might not seem that way, considering she's gone missing, but she is. She wouldn't get caught up in something like that."  
Ballard stared at him for a moment, sighing deeply. "That right there is a perfectly good reason for them to take her. She sees something, gets in the way of something... She'd be a goner. Unless she's pretty."  
At this, Tony stiffened. He knew his sister was beautiful. Of course she was. Guys would give their left arm to be with her. He knew that all too well. For a moment, he felt a small surge of protectiveness well up in him.  
"She's more than pretty..." he replied quietly, eyebrows furrowing before he pulled out his wallet, digging out the picture of them together that he had buried behind credit cards and slips of paper. Silently, he handed the picture to the agent, not daring to look at her perfect face. Even on paper, she looked like a goddess. Or a ghost.

Ballard stared at it for awhile, looking like he was contemplating something. "Can I keep this?" he questioned before noting the glare he was given and added, "Just for a little while. Look, I know someone... Well, I don't know them but they know me. They've been contacting me, with a doll. If I showed them this picture, they might be able to tell me if she's in there."

"...Alright. Just, please. Find her." Tony stood, heaving a deep sigh. Effy. The only reason he was sane. As insane as this idea was, he was desperate. He needed something. Some hope.

"I'll try, Tony. My hardest." And with that, Ballard clasped the teen's hand before watching his back retreat out the door.


	4. Chapter 4

Beta relaxed back into the massage area, sighing contentedly as someone started on her back. Staring out at the rest of the room, Beta blinked. It was a nice day. It was always a nice day here. She didn't really know where here was. If she thought about it a lot, she usually came to the conclusion that it was just a nice place.  
She didn't think much, really. Just went about her day, doing whatever felt nice. And now, swimming seemed like a good idea.

"I think I'll go swimming now," she announced, sitting up slowly as she tilted her head. The worker smiled and nodded, helping her off the massage table. "Sound like a lovely idea, Beta. I'll go tell Carter what you're up to and then after you've finished, you can have a treatment."

* * *

Tony got back to the flat with a slightly dejected feeling growing in his stomach. Sid and Cass were still gone, probably would be until the early hours of the morning. Sinking down into a chair, he crossed his legs lazily, turning on the telly. Maybe television could drown his worried thoughts.  
An hour after an episode of some rubbish American drama, he felt no different. His phone was sitting beside him, blank screen mocking the silence. He willed it to ring – even though he knew it wouldn't work that fast. He would have to wait. He had waited for three months – he could survive another few days. No matter how long it took, he would wait for his sister.

It took a week.

For seven days, Tony was a zombie. Wake up, shower, get dressed, eat, and watch telly. It was all so normal, it made him sick. He felt like his hope and brain were slowly dying together, turning him into an empty shell.  
And then the phone rang.

"Hello?"

"Tony? Come down to the station again. I have some information."

Click. And that was it. But it was more than he needed to survive for another few days.

It didn't take him long to reach the station again. This time he knew where he was going and he had a reason to be rushing. Effy was that much closer, he could almost hear her voice. See her blue, blue eyes staring at him.

Instead he was greeted by Ballard who instead of looking cheery, gave him a grim look and ushered him into the office he had been in before. The feeling of hope he had before was slowly ebbing away, replaced with one of dread. Could… Effy be… No.

"I have some bad news. Well, it's good news, I suppose. But it's also bad news." Ballard sank down into his own chair, looking more tired than he had before. "Your sister is fine. But my thoughts were right. She's in the Dollhouse."

Tony's spirit lifted and quickly crashed as he realized what that meant. Apparently the Dollhouse was an impenetrable fortress. Ballard had attempted to get inside before and barely managed to escape. It wouldn't do Effy any good to go and get himself caught by these people.

"What do we do?" Tony questioned, leaning forward with an almost desperate expression. He had to save Effy. Even if it meant risking his own life. He would do that. Trade his life for hers.

"We'll have to make an engagement," Ballard replied, looking slightly weary. "Book your sister out for the night."


End file.
